Yes, it takes a catalyst to awaken,and often that is chaos/negative that teaches... Our natural state is many things, both capacities to create good and evil. Our tendency to trust in order to survive cooperatively allows us to be manipulated and controlled. The threats from authority we trust to help run life for us is what then keeps us in line and living according to their rules and their agenda.

I don't subscribe to the time ideas you have. We move forward as that's how things are. No time is just nothing happening, and non existence. Moving backwards in unraveling existence. Time isn't a thing in itself as far as I understand it. It's a reference word symbol for measurements.